>> Wednesday, January 3, 2018

When I decided to work from home/stay home, I thought that my eating and drinking would get much healthier. I'd have a whole kitchen of whole foods readily available to me. An oven and many other useful appliances to cook up anything my heart could desire.

The thing is, it's been quite the opposite experience. Being around ALL the food has meant that I eat ALL the food. Even when I plan ahead and have meals ready in the fridge to grab, the snack-attacks set in or I find time to make up different cravings.

When I worked my last office job, I was so incredibly regimented. (Check out Staying Healthy While Working Full Time). Sure, I'd have missteps. I worked on a college campus, after all. I could jaunt down to the food court and get random bagels or cookies at the different coffee shops spread about. But I pretty much did OK (Here's what I'd eat in a typical day). I stuck to eating oatmeal for breakfast (above) and would almost always pack something sensible for lunch (microwave sweet potatoes!). I had a snack drawer and a lot of discipline. My meals were portioned. When I was done eating, I was done eating.

So, why can't I rock this awesome at-home situation? I don't know. Stress from being home with a non-verbal toddler who skips naps and has crazy tantrums gets the best of me on many occasions. And when I have a pressing deadline to meet? Shoveling crap into my mouth always seems to help me power through. Boredom and isolation are other factors. While I love being home, it does get lonely, especially this time of year when I'm not as apt to go out and about.

As I do most years, I'm trying to start fresh. Trying to approach my situation from a new angle. I got a new cookbook I'll share about soon. I've been mixing together overnight oats (which I don't really love -- but I've been trying new recipes) for more automatic breakfasts. I'm focusing on protein for lunch, even if it means downing a Kodiak Cake waffle with peanut butter.

I've also been wow-ing the family with different dinners. (We'd been in the same rotation for years, including pumpkin chili, veggie quesadillas, breakfast for dinner, veggie burgers, and homemade pizza. You can search these recipes on the blog if you'd like to try them. We've had enough of them, though.)

So, stay tuned for more about how I'm mixing things up. I'm only on day three so far. But the new year is always such a good excuse to keep the motivation going a bit longer. We shall see.I'd love to know what food goals you have cooked up for 2018! Any recipes to share?